Did Judge J. Cedric Simpson improperly interfere during and after his intern's drunken driving arrest? A Judicial Tenure Commission examiner called three more witnesses Tuesday morning in an attempt to prove that he did. Pittsfield Township police Officer Robert Cole was the first to take the stand at

hearing at the Washtenaw County Courthouse. The officer responded Sept. 9, 2013 to Michigan and Platt for a crash involving 27-year-old Crystal Vargas, Simpson's intern and student at Cooley Law School. Simpson arrived at the scene around 4:30 a.m. JTC Examiner Margret Rynier asked Cole if it's standard protocol to allow family and friends at arrest scenes. Cole explained officers are generally trained to make people wait and not breach the scene. When asked why he let Simpson, Cole testified, "Because he's not just a family member. He's Judge Simpson. I'm going to talk to him." Cole said one question he usually asks during a drunken driving arrest, but did not ask this time, was where Vargas was coming from. "I thought she was coming from Judge Simpson's house," he said, adding he knew the judge lived nearby. Cole also testified he allowed Simpson at the scene because he wasn't a threat. "He's a judge," the officer said. Both Cole and Pittsfield Township police Sgt. Henry Fusik testified that Cole brought Vargas back to the station after she was arrested for drunken driving. Cole immediately sought out Fusik to tell him that Judge Simpson had showed up at the crash and subsequent arrest. "He kind of looks at me and said, 'Judge Simpson showed up at the scene.' I said, 'What?'" Fusik said in a way that expressed his confusion at the time. Cole explained Vargas was the judge's intern, according to testimony. That morning, Fusik emailed Director of Public Safety Matthew Harshberger, who testified Tuesday that he ordered the case be processed like any other, even though he said he didn't usually deal with individual cases. Cole was also questioned as to why he didn't initially include Simpson's appearance at the scene in his report. He said that information was added later at the request of his superiors. The case was then sent to Victor Lillich, the Pittsfield Township attorney at the time, who testified he got a call from Simpson before he received the report. Lillich testified Simpson said he was concerned about discrepancies with the alcohol testing at the scene and at the police station. Simpson and Lillich had a few more conversations about the case over the weeks, including one about which defense attorney might be best to represent Vargas. Lillich ultimately disqualified his office in the case, admitting to the examiner it was due to Simpson's involvement. During cross-examination with Simpson's attorney, Kenneth Mogill, Lillich said he wasn't trying to give the case or Simpson any special treatment. "That's not who I am," he said. "I don't practice that way. I don't deal out favors." The charges were ultimately authorized by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office. Rynier rested her case around noon Tuesday after testimony from the two police officers, Harshberger and Lillich. Mogill was expected to call several people after the lunch break.

John Counts covers crime and breaking news for The Ann Arbor News. He can be reached at johncounts@mlive.com or you can follow him on Twitter. Find all Washtenaw County crime stories here.